Recent Attacks On Lawyers | Madras High Court Asks Public Prosecutor To Facilitate Meeting Between Bar Bodies & DGP

The bench of Chief Justice KR Shriram and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy gave the suggestion when Senior Advocate S Prabhakaran, Vice Chairman of Bar Council of India, made a mention of the recent incident of a lawyer being stabbed outside the court complex at Hosur in Krishnagiri District. The Senior advocate informed the court that the entire bar body was disturbed by the recent attacks on lawyers and pointed out that there was no safety mechanism to protect the legal community.

A 30-year old Junior Lawyer, Kannan, was allegedly attacked by a court clerk outside the Hosur Court Complex on Wednesday. The lawyer was rushed to the hospital and has been in a critical condition. Media reports suggest that the attack was motivated by personal animosity. The accused, Anand Kumar surrendered before the Judicial Magistrate following the alleged stabbing.

The Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry has now approached the Madras High Court seeking directions to the State police to take appropriate action to protect the interest of the lawyers from brutal attacks and to safeguard the court premises by placing appropriate security checks.

The Bar body, in its petition stated that the recent attacks on lawyers has severely demoralised the legal community and raises a question on the security of the lawyers. It further states that the incidents have projected the legal profession in a bad light before the general public which degrades the legal profession and the judicial institution. Stating that the present attack is not an isolated incident, the bar body submitted that though representations have been given to the concerned authorities, no action has been taken.

The plea further states that every individual lawyer has a right to practice and profess law and it id the duty of the lawyer to represent his client without any fear. It if further stated that the recent events have brought in a fear psychosis in the minds of the legal fraternity where the lawyer are now worrying about their lives, kith and kin.

The plea adds that the recent attacks are also a result of the lethargic attitude and lack of safety measures by the government institutions in safeguarding the rights of the lawyers. Thus, to maintain the dignity and structure and to protect the rights and interests of the lawyers, the bar body urged the court to direct accordingly.